Shuriken A GIJoe:Sigma 6 Story
by Argent-Perekin
Summary: There's a new COBRA ninja claiming to be Heather Collins, Kamakura's little sister. But are her claims true, or is it just a trap for the Sigmas?
1. Prolouge

The Prolouge

"Hi-Tech, get in here!" Duke called sharply. Hi-Tech scrambled into the central command room of the C-Titan where Duke and Scarlett were, tripping over several cords and his own feet a couple times on his way.

"H-yeah!?" He asked, casting a guilty glance up from where he had spilt Mountain Dew on the floor in his efforts to enter the room quickly.

"Clean that up first." Duke instructed, rolling his eyes and smiling at the techie. Hi-Tech ran to get a wet paper towel. Duke turned to Scarlett.

"He's a mess." She stated. "A clumsy, hurried, technological mess." She added, a disgusted look on her face.

"Aw, c'mon. Loosen up, Scarlett. It isn't that bad. Extremely intelligent people are like that. Hi-Tech could tell you where every cord attaches and why on HOUND, but he has no idea how to make coffee or when he last took a shower. It isn't terrible."

"Easy for you to say. You've lived with him for twenty years. I've only dealt with the man for one."

"You'll learn to like him. At least he isn't infatuated with you any more." Duke answered, just as Hi-Tech came in and bent down to clean up the spilt soft drink. There was a very clear, deep blush on his face.

"Don't be so sure. I just dumped him, that's all." Scarlett retorted, ignoring the blushing techie altogether.

"Ah, Hi-Tech? You finished with that?" Duke asked over his shoulder.

"Uhhh, yeah, I am. What did you want?" Hi-Tech asked, trotting over.

"It's a dangerous matter concerning COBRA." Duke answered. Hi-Tech's face turned serious.

"What about them?" He questioned. Duke began typing something on a computer in front of him.

"We believe there is a possibility they have a new agent working for them. Another ninja, to be exact."

"How on earth? Where did you-?"

"We've been investigating the last base that we chased them out of. There was one important data disc left. Normally, Cobra would never make such a great mistake, but this time, the mistake was purposeful. I'm sure of it."

"What did the disc contain?" Hi-Tech sat down at another computer, but instead of being drawn into the screen and the miles of new information to be read, he turned the swivel chair around to look up at Duke and Scarlett.

"This." Duke answered. "I'm sending the data to your central computer in your room. You won't believe it Hi-Tech...the disc contained scanty profiles for each of us. The passwords were simple to crack. Even I could get them." Duke reached into a drawer beside where he sat at the computer. "There was one note on the disc."

Hi-Tech looked puzzled after reading the note Duke handed him.

"As far as I can see, it's a girl posing as Kamakura's sister, or really is his sister. But according to the research I've made, she could pass for basically non-existent. She's been missing for six years. She hasn't used a credit card or signed up for any jobs. Disappeared just like her father did. Poof! Gone."

"That all you have to say?" Scarlett asked sarcastically. Hi-Tech cast her a hard glare.

"The real Heather Collins, if not dead, would be sixteen right now. Does this sound like a sixteen year old girl to you guys? I'm not buying it." Hi-Tech answered.

"Me neither." Scarlett stated.

"This could be a trap. For Kamakura more than any of us. He's told Hi-Tech a lot about this sister of his, and how much he misses her." Duke began sorting the facts out loud.

"Hey! What the heck?" Hi-Tech spouted up from where he was. "This data bank's most extensive amount of information is in Jinx', mine, and Kamakura's column! They've been gathering info about..." He trailed off, absorbed in reading the information on the computer.

"How much information!? Tell me, Hi-Tech!" Duke shouted. " I don't want Cobra killing you in your sleep tonight!"

"They won't kill me in my sleep, Duke...it's just our code names, outdated ages, and several videos of us in action, taken by the monitors on BAT's. Then they have my home state...and a rough idea of my height and weight. That's about all it is for the three of us. It's totally off, Duke. I am NOT six foot one! I'm five ten!" Hi-Tech answered.

"This is serious, Hi-Tech." Duke stated.

"By the way, Kamakura made a credit card slip."

"WHAT?!?!?! When, where?!" Duke shouted.

"Five years ago, it's no problem. Gosh, you're excitable today."

"Hi-Tech, I don't think you realize the full extent of this situation-"

"Yeah, but I've looked over the information and it seems pretty harmless to me. I think we should alert the team during the next mission briefing, not giving any names, but just telling them that there is a possibility of a new Cobra ninja and to keep their guard up. Hi-Tech should continue to research about this Heather Collins and we should just be more careful. That's my two cents." Scarlett declared, looking to Duke.

"I like it. It's a good plan. Keep researching her, bro. But not a word to Kamakura, got it?"

"Sure thing, Duke." Hi-Tech answered, leaving the command center and heading for his room.

***

Hope you enjoy my little, slightly rambling, story. I'll be posting more 'chapters' today. The reason I call them 'chapters' is because they're really more like parts, not chapters.


	2. Chapter 1

Kamakura ran down the hall toward the briefing room. It had been two months since he was notified of the possible new ninja working for Cobra, and every time he was called to the briefing room, he hoped to be assigned to a mission that included combat with Cobra agents, in hopes he would run into this ninja. He stopped as he reached the briefing room. Only Snake Eyes, Jinx, Scarlett and Duke were there. He quietly stepped in and stood beside Jinx.

"You're late, Kamakura." Duke began, a smirk on his face. Kamakura looked to the ground, shuffling his feet. Jinx sent a pointed glare in his direction.

"Don't do that stupid shuffling when you're standing beside me, idiot." She seethed.

"Who rubbed your fur the wrong way..." Kamakura muttered under his breath. "Sorry about that, sir." He added, directing his apology to Duke, but entertaining the idea of what would have happened if it had been to Jinx.

"And do you have a good reason for being late?"

"My shoelaces were untied and I tripped on them." He answered, blushing as Jinx practically died of trying to keep in her disbelief. She couldn't do it.

"YOU WHAT?!?!" She shouted.

"Alright now, break it up you two. We've got a job for you to do." Scarlett told them. Jinx and Kamakura stood at attention. Duke began pacing the front of the room, as he usually did when briefing them.

"Kamakura, you are excused for tripping on your shoelaces. Tie them next time. Jinx, you are in charge of this mission. Snake Eyes, I will be sending you on a different mission than that of your apprentices. Jinx, I want you and Kamakura to take the ninja bikes-you will be dropped off by the Dragonhawk-to the Akaishi Mountain Range of Japan. We believe Cobra has built a small operations facility in one of the valleys near the peak of mount Nokogiri to drill for a power stone in that area. You two will be in charge of verifying this information. Then we will send Snake Eyes in to help you take out the base. Like I said, it's small, with an estimate of only one hundred BATs and twenty-three troopers. We believe two Cobra operatives to be there as well, most likely Storm Shadow and perhaps Firefly. Think you can get in and out without being seen, and then get Snake Eyes?"

"Hai, Duke-sama!" Jinx answered.

"Yes, sir." Kamakura repeated in English.

"Great. Get geared up. And wear those Sigma suits or else!" Duke demanded. He knew of Jinx's tendency to not wear her suit when she didn't have to. She thought her martial arts skills were enough. Kamakura agreed, but he wanted her to stay safe. Of course, when it came to Jinx, Kamakura's opinion really didn't matter.

"She'll do what she wants no matter what..." He muttered as they boarded the Dragon Hawk several minutes later. Kamakura was armed with his bola arm launcher, kama, shuriken and kunai, nunchaku, and a 9 mm pistol. Jinx with sai daggers, katana, kama, shuriken and kunai. Snake Eyes carried an uzi and katana, his weapons of choice, along with seven throwing stars and kunai.

The trip didn't take long in the Dragon Hawk; they were in Japan within two hours. Kamakura felt weird because of the time change, but ignored it. It was dark, but the sun was about to rise on the horizon. It had been late afternoon when they had left.

"Always gets me. Time changes..." Kamakura announced. Jinx cast a glance at him from where she was on the hover cycle beside him. They had just begun to strap their weapons on. As soon as they were finished, Lt. Stone called over the radio that they were about to be dropped. Jinx and Kamakura nodded.

"We're ready, sir." Kamakura had barely gotten the words out when the wind blasted into his lungs. He quickly shut his mouth to avoid it drying out. He felt the drop cage falling at deadly speed. He wanted to scream as they neared the ground, but he knew better. He started the engine of his hover cycle before Jinx did; she would be angry at him for it later, but he didn't care. Better to be safe than sorry.

Kamakura hit the gas right before they came in contact with the ground and sped from the drop cage as the front fell open. He and Jinx were in a rural valley in Japan. They found the road and drove toward the mountains. He let Jinx do the directing, as he still couldn't read Japanese very well. He was prone to mix things up and got himself terribly lost in Kyoto once. He turned to look behind him at the horizon. An orange glow was beginning to show on the mountains. He turned back to the road and closed his eyes for a moment. The cool, night wind in his face, the sound of the hover cycle motors, the tires against the road and the sound of Jinx's voice made him feel at peace. He felt at peace in Japan anyway, but that moment was different. He had no uneasy feelings about the mission, and was full of confidence that they would succeed. He also felt as if something in his life were about to change, as if something were different.

"But Jinx and Sensei always say this happens in their homeland..." Kamakura said to himself.

"Dou shita no, Kamakura-kun?" Jinx asked through her communicator. Kamakura had not realized he was talking out loud.

"Betsuni nademo naiyo. Just that weird feeling again."

"Daijobu desu ka?" She asked.

"No, I'm fine. I just feel the way I normally do when I go to Japan..."

"Time change. Homeland fever or something is what Sensei used to say." Jinx answered, laughing. Kamakura didn't answer, lost in his thoughts. They continued on for almost an hour. When they reached the mountains, they went into hover mode until they were several thousand feet up. No words were exchanged except for a gasp from Kamakura. The scene was breathtaking. The mountains of Akaishi were bathed in golden light from the morning sun and the few quant little houses on the mountain side sat calmly nestled in the rocky terrain. Kamakura slowed down as they hovered past one of those houses. Dogs barked and he could hear the voices of a mother and her child as they fed their puppies and took down laundry left up to dry the night before.

"Okaa-san! I heard noises in the bushes!"

"Hush now, it's just Usa-chan looking for it's Okaa-san."

"We're hardly bunnies, Jinx." Kamakura remarked, when they were well away from the farm. Jinx laughed.

"You are, Kamakura. Young and clumsy as little Usa-chan!" She teased. Kamakura blushed deeply.

"I'm a grown man and a ninja, Jinx...don't call me 'chan' ..." He trailed off, at a loss of words in his embarrassment. They continued up the mountainside for just a while more. Then they left there bikes in an elusive cave in the rock, and proceeded on foot.

They reached the peak of mount Nagoishi by ten in the morning. On Middle Atlantic time, it was twelve at night and Kamakura was becoming tired. He was also making up for the two hours lost on the ride over. _I know if I wait a while, I'll have an energy boost when we come upon the valley, but that's still going to be awhile..._he thought.

"Wanna stop and rest, Kamakura?" Jinx asked from where she ran ahead of him.

"No, that's alright." _Sensei would kill me for this, but I don't want to admit I'm tired. _

"Well, I think you and I need to rest, so were stopping. Got it?" Jinx demanded.

"Yes, ma'am." He answered as they stopped running and jumping from rock to rock up the steep slope. Jinx sat down right where they were, taking in deep, long breaths. _Baka watashi wa! She must be tired, just like me, and, being the idiot I am, I thought nothing of it and was just trying to prove myself better than her..._

Kamakura inwardly scolded himself as he watched Jinx catch her breath.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yes...fine...thanks..." She answered, taking off her shoe on her left foot and rolling up her sigma suit to reveal a bloody gash on her shin.

"Jinx! Where on earth did you get that?!"

"Nowhere! On the ship, stupid. While I was training I-" Jinx stopped suddenly, rolling down her suit leg and slipping on her shoe silently. She motioned for Kamakura to keep silent. He did, and listened closely. Birds chirped, the wind whistled up the mountain and through the few trees and bushes...and then...he heard voices.

"I seriously think I hear someone." A female voice said insistently.

"Well I did not. So be silent so that I might."

"Storm Shadow." Kamakura whispered.

"I sure wish we had radioed to Duke before now...it's radio silence unless we have an emergency from here on up." Jinx answered. Using a kind of picture language drawn in the dirt she had learned in her time training as a child, she told him what to do. 'Go to the bushes. Quiet.' Kamakura obeyed her command. When they were out of site in some bushes, Jinx motioned for him to radio Duke.

"But-"

"Now!" She whispered. Kamakura switched on his gauntlet. He began to radio the Sea-Titan.

"Sensei! I feel radio signals from somewhere very near here!" The girl announced. Kamakura looked up above the bush. Storm Shadow wore his regular sleeveless white and red Cobra ninja uniform, with his two katana swords strapped to his back. The girl wore a black and red Cobra uniform of the same make; Sleeveless and kimono-styled with a mask like Kamakura's. _How can anyone FEEL radio signals?_

Sai daggers were all along her belt, and she wore kunai in her auburn hair like hair sticks.

_I sure hope they're dull kunai...or else she wouldn't have any hair. _Kamakura thought.

"Duke, this is Kamakura. Do you read? Quiet." Kamakura whispered into his radio. He was certain the other ninja would hear him, but he wasn't incredibly worried, as it seemed like they already knew of his location. Jinx was lying flat on the ground, trying to conceal that there was two of them. Hopefully, if they attacked Kamakura, they would miss Jinx and pay for it later.

"Yes, Kamakura? What's going on up there? Radio silence was ordered unless you have an emergenc-"

"This IS an emergency! Storm Shadow and that new ninja are here! We need you to send in Snake Eyes! Over and out!" Kamakura had forgotten his whisper and was pretty sure his head was going to be coming off in just a few moments. He was surprised when he heard Jinx shout from behind Storm Shadow and the girl. He ducked down and crawled away from the bushes, hiding behind some rocks. He hoped Jinx had had the sense to do the same.

"There are two of them, Sensei. One on either side of us. A female, and a male. The girl is more experienced, I assume, as she kept quiet until now, and spoke up just to save the other."

"Very good observation, Shuriken. They are my brother's apprentices. I will take the woman, Jinx, and you take the man, Kamakura. Do not let your guard down." Storm Shadow instructed. The girl, Shuriken, nodded, and turned to where Kamakura had been. Her blind spot to where he really was, Kamakura saw it as an opportunity to attack. _Or at least give her a little poke, to see what her abilities are. _Kamakura stood, took one quick step back, and attacked Shuriken on her left side with his right hand kama.

"Ach!" Shuriken yelled, blocking his attack with her katana. Kamakura jumped back, landing quietly.

"You're fast."

"I can sense you coming. If you're a real ninja, that wouldn't have been a surprise."

"I was in your blind spot." Kamakura muttered. She smiled.

"For my eyes, maybe, but not my hands." She answered, and for the first time, Kamakura realized she held her sword in her left hand.

"Well, now, that explains it." Kamakura answered. He rushed on her, threw some shuriken at her left side in a fake attack, jumped over her and attacked her weaker right. _Score one for me! _He thought as his right hand kama blade made contact with her arm, leaving a deep wound. He was behind her in a second, and attempted a another attack, at her left, with his left. He rushed on her, but she blocked quickly, turning and stabbing a sai dagger into his right shoulder. It dug in deep, and Kamakura jumped back to avoid any further injury.

"Hurts, huh? Be glad you're not right handed." She told him, turning to look him in the eye.

"What?! How did you-?!" Kamakura was startled. He had carefully concealed his tendency to lean toward using his left hand so far, how had she guessed? He sheathed the kama in his right hand when it began throbbing. _Drat..._

"You put your weight on your left foot. I assumed you were left handed as well, and took a guess. You shouldn't have made my guess correct by answering in that way." She explained, rushing Kamakura on his wounded right side. He dodged, back flipping, using both hands, and gaining a few feet. He looked up. She was sailing above him in a second, and he took his chance to grab her arm. He had no intention of grasping her wounded one until it was too late. She let out a cry, and fell to the ground at his pull.

"Are you alright? Gosh, I didn't mean to-" Kamakura was cut off midway through his apology. Shuriken stood; burying her knee in his stomach and yanking him to the ground by his wounded arm.

"You deserve it!" She said loudly. Kamakura felt as if he recognized her, but he didn't take time to contemplate. He grabbed her ankles and tripped her, jumping over her. She regained her balance, but he was concealed in a tree by that time. She turned her back to him to glance around and at that moment he attacked her from behind. Feeling foolish for his mistake earlier, he simply hit her hard on the back of the head with the blunt end of his kama. She collapsed.

"Now, to help Ji-" Kamakura stopped mid-sentence. Storm Shadow was standing, watching him, and Jinx was tied up to a rock.

"Kamakura, you idiot! Never, never, never apologize for hurting the enemy! You wasted a great chance to knock her out and got me paralyzed and tied up! Idiot! Idiot!" Jinx shouted. Kamakura sighed.

"Crap." He muttered. _Now I have to take on Storm Shadow alone. Untying her would be useless, now that he's shot her with those paralysis darts..._He thought, planning his first move. Storm Shadow had just placed a foot forward in an attack when Snake Eyes interceded from where he had been watching in the tree Kamakura had been hiding in earlier. Jinx had just yelled another complaint to Kamakura, catching Storm Shadow slightly off guard and Snake Eyes had kicked him to the ground. It was a strange occurrence that Storm Shadow should be knocked unconscious without a fight, and Kamakura kept his guard up. Snake Eyes motioned to him, 'Nice tree there, isn't it?' and Kamakura nodded.

"Awesome tree. Well, we've verified there's a base here, but Jinx is pretty much useless for a few hours. Do you think we should just wait for her to recover, move on and destroy the base, or retreat?" Kamakura asked his sensei.

'How's your arm?' Snake Eyes motioned.

"Um. It's, well, it's..." Kamakura stuttered.

"It's bleeding like heck and you aren't even moving it! The truth's obvious Kamakura. What is your problem? Getting yourself hurt like that! Idiot!" Jinx shouted. Suddenly a voice answered her from the rocks higher up on the steep mountain.

"If you were of any intelligence at all, you wouldn't be wasting your energy screaming and yelling like that." Storm Shadow said, retreating further up the mountain. He disappeared.

"Stupid. Now we have to retreat 'cause Storm Shadow is going to tell the whole base where we are!" Jinx yelled again.

"Will you just SHUT UP?!?!?!" Kamakura demanded, glaring at Jinx.

"Sure." She said sarcastically. Kamakura looked to Snake Eyes apologetically. He then realized Shuriken was still lying on the ground, knocked out.

"What do you think we should do with her?" Kamakura addressed Snake Eyes.

'Take her back for questioning.' Snakes motioned.

"Alright then, I'll radio base and let them know we have a captive girl and a paralyzed maniac. Duke, this is Kamakura," Jinx was unable to protest Kamakura's insult before he started radioing. "mission: failure. Jinx' left leg is injured and she has been hit with paralysis darts. My right shoulder was stabbed, as well."

"Sorry. I should have gotten Snake Eyes to you sooner. Are you alright?"

"Yes, sir. I managed to take down the new ninja, Shuriken. She is still knocked out and Snake Eyes is in the process of tying her hands...Alright, sure, we'll retreat to the drop zone where you can pick us up. Goodbye. Thanks." Kamakura finished, heading over to where Jinx was and cutting her ropes. He picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, ignoring her protests.

"Well, it's all downhill for now, I guess." He sighed, following Snake Eyes as they ran to where their Hovercycles were.


	3. Chapter 2

Jinx had almost all the feeling back. She was now cleaning the wound on her leg and helping Long Range doctor up the stab in Kamakura's shoulder.

"Hold still..."

"But it hurts so ba-AGH!!!" Kamakura protested against Jinx, breathing heavily.

"Mi amigo, you've gotta hold still or I'll have to use a _needle_." Long Range threatened, and Kamakura instantly stilled.

"P-please don't use one, please..."

"Not if you can be this still until I'm finished. Promesa. "

"Oh, good. Gracias...YOUCH!!!"

"De nada." Long Range answered, not in the least bit phased by Kamakura's pain. A few minutes later he pulled out a needle and thread.

"B-but you said-"

"Una promese est una promesa. I'm not going to use it right now. Later."

"Wha-?"

"Jinx, you aren't needed anymore, so if you like, you can leave now." Long Range said lightly, preparing the shot that was going to be used to numb Kamakura's arm before he stitched it up. He then turned back to making sure the wound was completely sanitary.

"I'll leave then, thank you." Jinx answered. Kamakura protested.

"No, Jinx! Don't leave me hear to this torture! Jinx, stop! I need you! NO!!!"

Jinx stopped abruptly just as she was about to walk out the door and turned on her heel. "TAKE IT LIKE A MAN, YOU WIMP!!!!!!" She shouted, pointing an accusing finger in his direction. She then turned back around, and left quickly.

She decided it would be best to check up on how their captive was doing. Duke had made sure that her wounds were tended to and that Hi-Tech kept a good eye on her in her holding room from the control room of the C-Titan. That was where Jinx was headed now.

When she couldn't find Hi-Tech in the control room, she directed herself down the well known path to his 'cave'; the computer station and lab where he practically lived. Jinx reached the room and knocked on the door. A rustling was heard, and the door was opened. She peered into the darkness of the neon green lit room. In one corner, the one closest to the door, black lights made an eerie glow appear on anything white, and in the one opposite a mass of mechanical parts and wires were heaped together. The two corners directly in front of her were taken up by shelves, as was the left and right walls of the room. On the right side of the room, near one of the haphazardly filled shelves, was a wrinkled sleeping bag and flat pillow. Then some pajamas, jeans, two t-shirts, several half finished sandwiches, and a coat; all thrown in random places on the floor. Then, in the very center of the back wall, was a massive computer. With nine monitors and three keyboards, a _humongous_ amount of space that no ordinary person could even have _remote_ access to, the best search engine in the world on six browsers, and a security system that ran cameras throughout the entire base, Hi-Tech was the most equipped genius in the world. He had so many programs running at once sometimes, Jinx couldn't fathom how he did it. The way he followed every instruction given to him, whether by a human or a machine, with complete accuracy and utmost diligence, along with an intelligence that beat hers by thousands of miles; it was amazing. Jinx respected the techie for all this, but one thing never made it past her-Hi-Tech was the most eccentric man she knew.

Sometimes, he could be normal. He didn't appear very strange until you got to know him. Most of his oddities Jinx could tolerate, but there was one that she just couldn't accept. He was affectionate toward his machines. The computer, the security system, that little robotic dog/vacuum/toaster thing, EVERYTHING had a name and was often treated to long, one-sided conversations with their creator. Jinx knew this really wasn't an odd thing, but it bothered her, nonetheless. _Giving your sword a name is fine, but TALKING TO IT? I think not._

But to spite several drawbacks, Jinx got along with Hi-Tech reasonable well. She had been to his computer room and seen it in several states, but there was always one thing that never changed. Hi-Tech's worn out computer chair was never replaced. It always stood somewhere, usually with Hi-Tech lounging in it, and it always had an old hoodie slung over the back. Jinx never asked about the hoodie; why it was there or what was written on it that you could only see a corner of. She had long ago decided that asking about things in Hi-Techs computer room was dangerous; he would always give you an explanation the size of Alaska or the length of Chile.

He was sitting at the computer in said old chair, with the black hoodie slung over the back. Jinx startled that HOUND had opened the door, and to spite her prejudice against showing machines affection, she petted the robotic dog. He beeped with delight at the attention he was being given from someone who he normally got no acknowledgement from whatsoever. Several videos were playing on Hi-Tech's computer, and Jinx when she got closer that he was checking the security system.

"How's our captive, HT?" Jinx said.

"Oh, hi Jinx...yeah, she's still asleep, but I hope she wakes up soon." He responded, taking the wireless mouse he had and clicking several buttons on the screen. "Y'want to see the camera view of where she is?"

"Sure." Jinx answered, and almost instantly a video flashed up of a comfortable, yet bare room with a girl sleeping on a cot bed in the corner.

"Could you zoom in on her, please?"

"No problem. Here."

Jinx took in the girl. She wished she could take off the mask Shuriken was wearing so that she might get a better look at the face of the mysterious person.

"I'm heading down there as soon as she wakes up; would you like to come with me?" Hi-Tech offered.

"That would be awesome! Thanks Hi-Tech!!!" Jinx agreed loudly, jumping up and down once. HOUND began beeping, standing on his back legs and waving his front ones around. Hi-Tech laughed, turning from the monitor and laughing even harder when he saw HOUND's antics.

Suddenly a bright red ALERT sign filled the screen of Hi-Tech's mega computer. He hit a few buttons, and then turned to Jinx.

"She's awake now. Let's go." He explained, walking to one of the shelves and holstering an uzi. "Just in case she pulls something."

"You won't have to worry too much," Jinx answered, pointing at the six sai daggers that lined her belt. "and there's plenty more."

Hi-Tech laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure."

***


	4. Chapter 3

Shuriken could hear voices. She had just awoken, and her head hurt. She cursed under her breath.

"...where am I..." She muttered, wishing her head would stop pounding.

"Well, I see our prisoner has awoken." A male voice said. The person sounded at ease, like nothing different was going on, but Shuriken could hear the watchfulness; the distrust in his voice. _I know that voice..._

"Hi-Tech!?" She nearly shouted, sitting up quickly. Her head started spinning and she felt sick to her stomach, but she hardly noticed. She sat very still until she could see the blonde-headed, green eyed techie a few feet away.

"Why so surprised? You are in a Sigma 6 base, after all." He answered, not even a hint of a smile on his face, but rather a serious and unconvinced look. "And watch your mouth. That was a very insulting word you said just a minute ago and I'd rather not be reminded of when I once used it." He commanded. Shuriken nodded.

"Habit, sir. I'll try not to say it any more."

"Good. Now, we'll need to be asking you quite a few serious questions, but I'll be waiting till your head clears. For right now, I want the basics." Hi-Tech turned to Jinx. "None of the following leaves this room, ok? This is meant to be kept confidential. No other Sigmas are supposed to hear any of these answers unless Duke gives you permission to tell them."

"Why no-"

"Don't ask why. If you have a problem, you can leave." He cut her off.

"I don't have one. I'll be over there if you need me." Jinx walked over to the door, not too far from where they were. _Just far enough that she can kill me if I try anything..._Shuriken turned her attention back to Hi-Tech. She wasn't planning on trying anything. At least not yet.

"Now, lets begin. Starting with your full name,"

"Heather Alechia Collins." Shuriken responded, rubbing her forehead as she did so. "Kamakura gave me a terrible bump on the head, didn't he?"

"Don't attempt to change the subject, but yes, he did. Now, Heather, if that is your real name, how old are you?"

"Sixteen. I think you know that already," She answered. "but don't believe me."

"To tell you the truth, I'm not allowed to believe you."

"Well that's nice."

"Yeah, it's wonderful. Tell me, what is the name of your father, mother, and if you have any siblings."

"My father is Wade Collins and my mother was Honey Eamon. I have one sibling, Sean Collins. That is all the information I can give you." She answered, attempting to gaze past Hi-Tech and off into nowhere, but not succeeding, as his eyes drew her in. They were not easy-going and happy the way she had once seen them. She wished she could see eyes like that again, but they were practically non-existent in her world. So she tried her hardest to stare past his serious and terribly distrustful look.

"That's all I'll be needing for now-Oh, wait, there were a few things more. Your height is five-six, correct?" Shuriken simply nodded. "You weigh one hundred and thirty-two pounds, you're left handed and have an allergy to chicken?" She nodded again. "Good, the medical team knew what they were doing." He answered, turning to leave. Jinx spoke up.

"Could you remove your mask for a second?"

"No, sorry. I am wearing it for a reason, and I am sure you understand that ninja have reasons for wearing masks." She answered curtly.

"Yeah, I do. Thanks." Jinx answered, following Hi-Tech out the door. Shuriken winced as the heavy steel door slammed shut and was locked.

"No goodbye...like always, sensei is the only one who cares, even if it is just a little..." She muttered, looking up at the ceiling. "Sensei, I want to go back with you, yet I...I want to see someone...so if you do come, let me leave again. Let me have a second chance to make them believe me. You know this is what I want, yet that I hate to leave you." She lay down on her bed again, head pounding. With Hi-Tech gone, she cursed a few times and then decided to sleep, feeling satisfied that she had irritated him before he had said a single word.

***

And we meet Shuriken. I've been writing to much recently...


	5. Chapter 4

"It isn't that important, Duke!"

"Yes it is, Hi-Tech!"

"But why do we have to interrogate her?" Hi-Tech was in one of many arguments with the Sigma 6 Commander. Of course, he was one of two people allowed to argue this badly with Duke. The other person was Scarlett, the second in command, which made a lot of sense. Yet Hi-Tech was allowed to argue with Duke even more than Scarlett. The reason was that he and Duke were half brothers. Duke's mother was Hi-Tech's mother, but they happened to look hardly anything alike and were very far apart until a few years before now. Duke was nine years older and Hi-Tech had never wanted to have anything to do with his eldest brother until joining Sigma 6.

Hi-Tech took note of how the disagreeing and arguing of now was different from when they were younger. Once, Hi-Tech had almost come to hating Duke, and at that time, their arguing was hateful and his words had meant to hurt. Now, they only argued on things that were important and it was always reasonable and never like it had been. They were both just trying to get the other to understand their reasons, and things were normally settled quickly. I suppose it comes from being an adult...Hi-Tech thought, taking in a deep breath. "I just don't think we need to do that..."

"Care explaining why? Look, Hi-Tech, she's a Cobra agent and we need to strangle as much information out of her as possible. No matter if she's a girl, a kid, or an old man! We've been at a disadvantage with Cobra for several months now and there's no telling when they're going to attack next or where. She knows and could tell us." Duke said, pacing back and forth in the control room.

"But your interrogation is always so..."

"Cold? It's the way to get the truth out of people. But I promise I won't be too bad unless I have to be. You can stay and make sure I'm not," He began, crossing his arms over his chest. He sat down in one of the swiveling computer chairs, turning to face Hi-Tech

"You know how I deal with that. But I'll try and stay." He answered, watching as Duke began setting up an extra recording device.

"Just in ca-" Duke was cut off by a loud beeping that sounded from the computers. "Hold on...WHAT?!?!?!" Hi-Tech leaned in, to spite almost being deafened by his commander a few seconds before with more shouting likely to be coming. Several red dots were on the radar, obviously Cobra was moving in.

"So, the parents come for their kid after all..." Hi-Tech muttered, clicking a few things and typing in a few words. "What're you gonna do?"

"Agh..." Duke mumbled, lost in thought. He stood abruptly, arms crossed once again. "Counter the attack. Turn on the intercom. We'll do our best to keep Cobra away from here and Shuriken away from Cobra. I want you to keep a close eye on her while we're out there. How many BATS are in the enemy attack squad?"

"A definite two hundred. For some reason, they aren't concealing their movement in the slightest. Baroness' faction has been moving around a lot today, so I assume it's probably her. Who do you want-?"

"Get Scarlett, Heavy Duty and Long Range! The Rhino, VAMP and Rhino chopper should be sufficient to stop a COBRA Battle Cruiser of Baroness'; she's never very prepared. I'll go along with them to help out. That's all we'll need! HURRY!"

"Yes, sir!

Scarlett, Heavy Duty, and Long Range, report to the command room, NOW!" Hi-Tech shouted over the intercom. It was time for yet another battle with COBRA.

***


	6. Chapter 5

Scarlett took in a deep breath, buckled and ready to go in the Rhino chopper. She had her hands on the controls; it was only a matter of time before Duke told her to take off. She peered out the windows of the helicopter at the rain that poured down, making it hard to see and takeoff. She was nervous; COBRA's movement was too obvious. They were clearly trying to draw them out of the base. But to spite her doubts, Scarlett firmly believed Duke's decision was right and she would follow orders, whatever it took.

Her muscles tensed when she heard the static over the radio and Duke's voice.

"Scarlett, you ready?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Prepare for takeoff." Half a minute passed.

"Ready for takeoff."

"Take off in ten seconds. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, two, one, zero!" Duke announced. Scarlett decided not to point out that he had missed three as the craft lifted into the air at her command. She directed the chopper west, toward the land. The C-Titan had been submerged near the Norfolk Military Base and had risen to the surface only a while ago to prepare for the mission. The Rhino and VAMP had already gotten to the mainland, so Scarlett was the last operative to leave. A few minutes passed before Duke radioed her again.

"I missed three again, didn't I?" He began, his face showing up on the screen. There was a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Yep. It must be you're weakness." She answered, smiling. Hi-Tech joined in the conversation.

"When he was young and was learning to count, he always missed three." The geek informed her.

"Yeah, but when you were learning to count, you always missed fifty-eight." Duke answered. Scarlett laughed.

"Ya'll are weird. Now, how far are am I from The Baroness?"

"Exactly twenty-eight miles, approximately ten minutes for you, Scarlett. You're only about three miles from Duke and catching up swiftly."

"Alright, got it. I have the radar up and can see her. Thanks, Hi-Tech."

"No problem." He answered, then switched off the radio to her.

***

Kamakura was only slightly startled when the power for the C-Titan went out. It was only for a few minutes, and besides, he was a ninja. His first lesson ever had been learning to not be afraid when you couldn't see anything, but to rely on your other senses. And when Kamakura was concerned, those senses had been trained to excellence. But he definitely panicked when the power came back on and he heard Shuriken was missing. He immediately rushed to Hi-Tech's computer room, where alerts were appearing on every screen of his super computer.

"Hi-Tech, what happened!? How did she get away!?" He shouted, stomping over to where the techie was at the computer. But instead of accessing the problem like he normally did, he was just standing there; hands spread apart on the keyboards, head bent and lips almost silently muttering something. It took Kamakura a minute to realize he was muttering 'idiot' over and over, apparently oblivious to the warnings of the computer. Kamakura stepped back.

"Hi-Tech...what happened?" He asked quietly.

"Zartan got in...and took her. She's gone, completely out of our perimeter, and probably as far away from the military base as possible. Kam, I was SUPPOSED to submerge the ship ASAP after Scarlett left, but I didn't." He confessed. "Tunnel Rat broke his arm." He stated bluntly. Kamakura smiled under his mask.

"I saw that! Of course, I went to go help him, and kept my gauntlet hooked up to the scanners. But then the power went out; no doubt it was COBRA's doing. Then the scanners quit. So there I was with no scanner and a scared and hurting wimp. And here I am now, feeling like an idiot, wishing Duke wasn't going to give me a terrible lecture when he gets back and hoping I don't get pinned as a traitor." He explained, turning to his friend, giving him a slightly pitiful smile. Kamakura sympathized; he couldn't help it. He knew what it was like to do something wrong and then get lectured for it; and with Jinx it was more than just a lecture. _Normally several physical bruises along with the ego ones... _

"Gosh, I'm sorry, Hi-Tech. I wish I could have been able to help you out."

"No, it's alright...I'm the one who should be sorry. I put you guys in a lot of danger by not paying attention and being more responsible." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the floor, obviously uncomfortable. "I guess Scarlett was right when she said I was too much of a kid still."

"When did she say that?" Kamakura asked, laughing.

"Well..."

"When she dumped you?" He couldn't hold in the giggles.

"Mmm...stop it, will ya'? It wouldn't be funny if someone we know told YOU that, now would it?"

"But she already has! A million times!" Kamakura answered. "The ego bashing is constant with women, you know. They really can't stand people like us. Now Snake Eyes and Duke...they've got it made."

"Yeah, I know. Well, I need to get things together before the aforementioned Duke and the others get back, and you need to get to training, so I'll let you go."

"Sure. See ya'!"

"Oh, and Kamakura-" Kamakura stopped midway to the door and cast a glance over his shoulder. "thanks, dude. See you around!"

Kam laughed. "Welcome!"

***

I put both Scarlett and Kamakura's POV parts together because Scarlett's was so darn short. I couldn't think of what to write, but it was necessary.


	7. Chapter 6

Jinx turned to Kamakura as he did a flip through the air from the entrance of the training room to where she was in the center. It was hard for her, to spite how much he annoyed her, to not tell him what she had heard when she accompanied Hi-Tech. She took a deep breath and tried to hold it in. Kamakura smiled brightly at her.

"They took Shuriken, but the system and all the other soldiers are safe. So we're good!" He answered cheerily. _You're trying to keep me from worrying, aren't you? Ah, Kamakura..._

"It's good that everyone is okay, but she was very valuable."

"And really pretty, y'know?" Kamakura stated, nodding matter-of-factly. Jinx snapped.

"WHAT ON EARTH IS WRONG WITH YOU?! Acting all easy-going and such!? Pretty? That's-That's...STUPID!!! The enemy is NOT PRETTY!!!" Jinx shouted, grabbing Kamakura by the collar of his shirt and shaking him so hard that she was certain any moment his brain-or what he called a brain- would fall out. But she really didn't care. "Don't you take any of this SERIOUSLY?!?!?!"

"Y-y-y-yes...but Duke has said Baroness is a beautiful enemy and to beware of that..." He muttered. "What is it with you girls and being so VIOLENT???"

"It's a thing with women in the military. Now, get back to those push ups and kicks you were doing. I'm gonna go get some water." She told him, heading to the far side of the room where a pack of water bottles stood. She opened one, and while she was drinking, thought about what had happened.

Was Shuriken really Kamakura's little sister? And if she wasn't, who was she? If she was, how would he react if he found out Shuriken really was his sister? Jinx put her water bottle down.

_If I ever see her again...I can't kill her. If she died and we found out she really was that sister of his, I wouldn't be able to bear seeing his pain..._

"Alright, Kamakura. Don't go over twenty, that arm of yours is still healing. Kicks now, all thirty, ten of each."

"Aw, man, but that'll take me ages..."

"Do it!" Jinx growled, glaring at him.

"Is it-YAH!-just me or are you-KIAH-meaner latel-OWWW!!! That hurt!"

"I'm not any different from how I was yesterday! Get to those kicks, ahou!" She answered harshly. Kamakura resumed his kicks. One was slightly off-balance. No one but sensei and her would have noticed it, but Jinx had known Kamakura long enough to understand that he had a tendency to lean to his left on a right footed kick, and she always tried to correct him.

"Wrong! You were left-leaning again. Now, kick and hold it..." Jinx pushed Kamakura on the left shoulder and then gently pulled him on the right. She felt him flinch. "Gomen. Now...hold your leg out for just one second..." She lifted his lower leg slightly. "Alright, that's the correct stance." She answered. "Now, kick again. I'll kick with you and we'll see if you get it right." They kicked. He got it right.

"Good job! Continue!" Jinx turned away for a moment and smiled to spite herself. She could hardly understand why she was so pleased when she saw Kamakura do something right. She would never understand why she felt so irritated when he corrected her. She was always better than him, she always knew best. The inverted way of life drove her crazy, and she knew it. But why? Why was she so frustrated that he was getting better than her? Perhaps it was the way life always had been that made life so hard now. Jinx had always been closest to Snake Eyes when it came to skill level. Yet Kamakura and Sensei had a special 'master and apprentice' bond that she wasn't part of. Jinx decided that maybe it was her bond with Snake Eyes falling apart due to Kamakura that irked her. Yet she still liked Kamakura; he wasn't on her bad side. She swished a strand of her long blackish brown hair over her shoulder and turned to Kamakura. He was still kicking, but his stance was once again off.

"Wrong! Are you having a bad day, Kamakura?" She asked, going about correcting his stance as she did so.

"No...just a little sore and tired from the blood loss earlier this morning."

"Well...It's getting late, so you should go eat supper. We'll work on this tomorrow."

"YES! FRIED CHICKEN, HERE I COME!!!" Kamakura shouted as he raced out of the training room.

"HEY! I thought you were TIRED! And weren't you on a STRICTLY JAPANESE DIET!?" She shouted after him. Sighing, she began to put away the equipment that Kamakura had, in his fervor, forgotten about. _Five months younger, but so immature..._

_***  
_


	8. Chapter 7

Shuriken was purely annoyed. Firefly really irritated her, but her father INSISTED she start getting 'closer' to him. Apparently, he was someone her father would like her to hook up with. It didn't help she would probably get her internet access cut off, have all her music CDs taken away and would be locked in her room without food for days if she didn't listen.

And frankly, she like her supper and internet access.

And frankly, she didn't care if she liked Firefly or not.

"I hate him." She muttered, staring past her computer screen and into space. "I hate his guts. Everything about him, I hate. That smile of his, that look in his eyes, the way he talks. I hate those stupid flame swords and that annoying haircut. So if I hate him enough, I can put up with him, no problem. I AM Storm Shadow's apprentice; a COBRA agent, after all. I am an expert as deception." Shuriken went on, the sound of her own voice almost comforting her. She wanted to get away from all of this, but wasn't willing to admit it to herself, even. She stood up and glared at an imaginary person on her wall. "Oh, and by the way, I hate those Sigma's too. The only people I love are Mom, Sean, and Sensei. So the rest of you moronic people can just GIVE UP! I hate you all! I hate you! I-I hate you...Hi-Tech, Scarlett, Duke, Snake Eyes, Long Range, Spirit, Heavy Duty, Stone and Jinx. I hate all of you, so leave me alone. I-I...ahmmm..." Shuriken threw herself down on her bed, tears spilling over. She lay there a long time, crying like she was going to die. Deep down, she didn't want to hate them.

"...but this...this life...I can NEVER be a friend; a comrade, to anyone. Stupid COBRA...stupid data chip...stupid radio waves; they're so loud...stupid, moronic people sitting in that C-Titan out in the middle of some forsaken ocean somewhere..."

***

Kamakura let out something of a sigh and a hum at the same time. He was stretched across his bed, wishing he could be eating chocolate ice cream and drinking pink lemonade. It was mid-August, almost two months after Shuriken had escaped, and she hadn't been on Kamakura's mind at all since then. He hadn't seen her once, so there really wasn't any reason to think about her. Now, ice cream and lemonade were a completely different ordeal.  
"It's so hot." Kamakura whined.  
"You bet." Tunnel Rat, who(along with Jinx and Hi-Tech) was paying a visit to his room, answered. "It's swelte'in'. You'd think this hunk a' metal might have some decent aih conditionin', but nooooo, we gotta live with this heat."  
"This isn't a hunk of metal, it's the result of the brainstorming of a technological genius! Don't take it's potential for granted!" Hi-Tech answered. He was cooling himself and Jinx with a large painted Japanese fan. Kamakura's entire room was filled with Japanese things.  
"Yes, but it's still a military ship. No air conditioning; and with all these people in here, the heat is terrible." Jinx stated blandly.  
"And Duke won't submerge for anything. I could give him ten million dollars and he would look me in the eye and say ' Did Hawk say it was okay? NO. So we aren't gonna do it.' AGH!!!" Kamakura had sat up, but then fell back onto his pillow.  
"Well, we aren't dead yet, and these kimonos are actually very cool." Hi-Tech answered positively. All four of them were dressed in cotton kimonos which, along with most things in the room, Kamakura and Jinx had made themselves.  
"But we'he neaw the Cahibean and he won't even give us Ah&Ah to spite all we'he doin' is sittin' awound." Tunnel Rat protested.  
"Maybe we should try and think of a way to pass the time."  
"Good idea, Jinx." Kamakura stood up and walked over to his CD player, put in a CD and went back to his bed. Soft and relaxing traditional Japanese music that spoke of cool mountain air, garden springs and quiet houses filled the room. Everyone settled into deep thought.  
"Hey, we could watch anime on your laptop!" Jinx spoke up from where she sat beside Hi-Tech on a red couch with gold dragon print on it. Kamakura, who was across from her, looked annoyed.  
"Why? It's so stupid." He answered.  
"No it isn't! We should watch it in English, so Hi-Tech and Tunnel Rat can understand!"  
"No way! Last time I watched your crazy Japanese cartoons, I had weird dreams about wacky hair for weeks!" Hi-Tech protested.  
"But FMA! How can you turn down FMA???"  
"Alright, alright, FMA isn't stupid, but the rest are scams. Who in their right mind would wanna watch a show about a bunch of rich, cosplaying, high-school-age guys who have nothing to do with their time but romance girls? And Naruto? It's really stupid. WE are REAL ninjas. THEY are FAKES. It's over-advertised, too." Kamakura continued. Hi-Tech and Tunnel Rat stared blankly at the two.  
"What the heck are you guys talking about?" Hi-Tech asked.  
"Anime. And you need to watch more of it, Kamakura!" Jinx answered.  
"No."  
"Yes!"  
"Iie."  
"Hai!"  
"NOOOO!!!"  
"YEEEEESSSS!!!"  
Suddenly, Scarlett burst into the room.  
"WILL YOU GUYS BE QUIET?!?!?! I am TRYING to sleep!" She yelled, slamming the door behind her. Kamakura glanced up as one of his Hiragana inscribed bells fell off the door and the rest jingled with irritation at the door being shut so violently.  
"She knocked off my bell for 'Peace'..." Kamakura muttered. No one paid any attention.  
"Fine. But you know, Kamakura's just trying to look cool. He really likes manga, see? He's got volumes upon volumes!" Jinx answered, getting up and leaning down to point at the rows of manga in one of Kamakura's bookcases. "I'm gonna read one right now, if you guys don't mind."  
"No, our minds are gonna be focused on thinking about something to do on this perpetually boring afternoon, so we won't notice." Hi-Tech answered.  
"How 'bout we play video games?" Tunnel Rat asked.  
"Too tired..." Kamakura muttered.  
"Well I ain't tired!" Tunnel Rat swung back and forth from where he was hanging upside down from the extra loft bed in the room.  
"We can tell." Jinx answered, not taking her eyes off her book. Suddenly she threw it down. "That's it! Kamakura, that's it!"  
"Honto? Nani?"  
"There they go speakin' dat jibbehish again..." Tunnel Rat said.  
"Well," Jinx answered, ignoring her bug eating teammate. "Just now I was reading about someone talking about their past and I was thinking..."  
"That we should talk about our pasts? Easy for you to say, yours wasn't that bad. Some of us have had it pretty awful, y'know?"  
"Yeah, Hi-Tech, but I don't think any of those people are here. And for another thing, I don't see what would be awful about your past...we've heard it before, and it's normal, actually."  
"Jinx, I don't think that's a good idea...talking about my life has never made me any better." Kamakura protested.  
"Okay, YOU don't have to, but I wouldn't mind telling mine. And I won't leave out ANYTHING."  
"Really, you don't have to-"  
"I was sixteen when I quit training at the clan, I think..."  
"Jinx..." But Kamakura realized it was useless. She would tell them if she wanted to.  
"I started working at a restaurant. I felt trapped in the Arashikage, and I wanted to get away. When Master told me I could leave at sixteen, I was over-joyed. Except for the fact I would be leaving Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow behind, I wasn't sad at all. So I left the Arashikage and went to live in Kyoto. I started working at a restaurant called the Ki Sakura. My motojime, or the man in charge of the restaurant, was tough, my apartment had only two rooms, and the neighborhood could be nasty. I started getting out of line, you could say." Jinx continued. Oddly, she glanced up to Kamakura. He gave her a very slight nod, as a prodding to continue. He wasn't sure what she was thinking, but it must have been a little tough for her to talk about her time as a worker at Ki Sakura and a Yankee. "I felt so alone in the world.  
I found a boyfriend at some point. I discovered after a while that that boyfriend, Akira, was a Yankee; a member of a gang. Believing I could find a place in the world as a yankee, I became one, too. The gang didn't treat me any better than my motojime; they treated me worse. I was once again in a prison; just like I had felt I was in at the Arashikage. But this prison tortured people. It didn't even give you air to breath. You did what they wanted, you didn't complain. And if you said you were leaving, you were dead." Jinx was, surprising to Kamakura, still smiling softly. "Akira was kind to me, though, even when it got him in trouble. I think..." She blushed deeply. I had no idea Jinx had a boyfriend in Japan...only a few years ago, too. Why didn't she ever tell me about that? Kamakura thought to himself. "well, I think I really had found a true friend in Akira. He never hurt me like the others did...he never even raised a finger to hit me. He would occasionally give me a smile or two. But then, after I left the gang, I found this guy-" Jinx pointed at Kamakura. "He never stops smiling about anything, so I have nothing to worry about." Actually, Jinx had told Kamakura a million times that he needed to get more serious about life. But he WAS serious. She just thought he had a problem because she herself had one; she was too negative. "It was a long time before I met Kamakura, though. I got around stuff like underage drinking and drugs, vandalizing and hurting people. I did a lot of stupid things, y'know? Thankfully, I didn't get addicted to any of that junk, and one day, I woke up. I had been sifting through some old stuff I'd had when I first came to Kyoto and I found a pocket Bible Sensei had given me when I left. About two months later I was targeted by Hi-Tech and joined Sigma 6, completely reformed of my previous wrongs. I was a Christian after that; I was made new." She concluded, smiling up at the others.  
"Dat...dat was a good stowy, Jinx." Tunnel Rat murmured, now sitting cross legged on a pillow on the floor and fidgeting with the tassels. Kamakura didn't look up to meet her gaze. He knew he was going to crumple under that smile of hers, and he didn't want to. He didn't want to fall apart after such a simple story. But the fact that he had been through the same thing and not been able to smile like that for four years afterwards, and yet she had only months afterwards, made him feel so weak compared to her that he just couldn't stand it. Suddenly the door flew open again. Scarlett popped her head in, looking a little dazed from her nap.  
"Hi-Tech, Duke wants you in the control room. TR, Heavy Duty wants you to sample tonight's dinner. Kam and Jinx, do whatever." She instructed. Tunnel Rat and Hi-Tech left the room to follow orders, the door once again slammed shut, and another Hiragana inscribed bell fell off.  
"She knocked off my bell for Happiness." He muttered again, not expecting Jinx to say anything, but she did.  
"Let me help you put them both back up, 'kay?"  
"Uh, sure. I'll put up Peace and you can put up Happiness, alright?"  
"Mhm. Now, where's your string and scissors?"  
***

Once again, had to put two parts in one 'cause it was so short. Sorry about not posting these, I haven't been able to write much and I didn't want to post anything until I was at least a few more pages ahead of what I was posting. :P Confusion...confusion...

Anyway, I only edited this a little. Not really expecting perfection. A fourteen year old girl juggling school, schedule, chores and a friend's birthday coming up can get a little slack, can't she?


	9. Chapter 8

Jinx helped Kamakura tie the bells back on the door.

"By the way, I didn't get mixed up in anything worse than the vandalizing, Kamakura. So you can stop avoiding my gaze like I'm a serial killer."

"Naw, naw, we all know you didn't get in to too much trouble. It's behind you now, anyway. So we have no right to hold it against you."

"But Kamakura, you've still got an aura of insecurity. What's up?

"Nothing, I'm telling you, nothing. Y'know me, always insecure!"

"Okay..." But Jinx wasn't convinced. She rubbed the back of her head and twisted a few strands of her short black hair in her fingers. Suddenly Kamakura tripped slightly. Jinx saw a little too late as he crashed into her. They both fell to the floor.

"Kamakura! What's your problem!?!?!?" Jinx shouted, sitting up from where she was lying next to him. "That was stupid you-" She stopped. Kamakura was sitting up too, but he was blushing slightly.

"So sorry, I-I..."

"Gosh, it wasn't that big of a deal! You just tripped, you baka. So shut up and stop apologizing and getting embarrassed for simply knocking me over!" She answered, giving him a light punch to his now healed right shoulder. He gave her a slight smile. She laughed.

"I think you need to practice on your 'balancing in fuzzy socks' ninja move. Remember that one?" She began.

"Oh, man, do I! That was funny. I fell right off that balance beam the minute I had both feet on it!"

"Yep! You were flailing your arms around like crazy right before you landed face first on the mat. Now, lets go see if supper is ready, alright?"

"Sure."

"Oh, Kamakura!" Jinx began as they were walking down the hallway together. "Your kimono is hanging way open! Straighten it before we get to the eating hall! You can see that huge scar on your ribs and chest, it's so uneven! Yeah, yeah, it's straighter now..." Jinx instructed the blushing Kamakura. "Man, you sure do blush a lot, don't ya'? Sometimes I think you're gonna collapse of blood flowing into your head." Jinx stated, successfully making Kamakura blush again. She laughed the rest of the way to the dining hall. Kamakura was so easy to tease, and rather hilarious when you got him on a roll like he was now. First the tripping, then the kimono, and then the sheer fact that he had been blushing all afternoon made everything fit together in perfect sync for Jinx. But her teasing plans didn't work out.

"YEAH!!! We're eating Chinese! Food, HERE COMES THE INSANELY HUNGRY NINJA, KAMAKURA!!!" Kamakura shouted, racing across the large room and over to the bar where the food was being served up by Scarlett and Heavy Duty. Jinx sighed. _And it was a perfect time to bring up the fried alligator incident...ah, well. _

"Itadaki-masu!" She and Kamakura exclaimed as they began their meal.

Jinx was certain Kamakura was going to get choked and die at the rate he was shoving egg rolls into his mouth.

***

"DO MY EARS DECEIVE ME?!?!?! Firefly, what is your PROBLEM?!"

"Quite, Shuriken! I cannot take your bickering." Barroness complained.

"Yes, go somewhere else, you two. We're trying to play Go." Destro commanded.

"Sure, whatever..." Firefly answered, taking Shuriken by the arm, against her will, and leading her from the room and down the hallway. Shuriken immediately spouted of when they stopped.

"You made me leave my MP3 player!"

"Get it later. Now listen, you need to start understanding that this ain't a pretty little party, sweetheart. Cobra Commander authorized that I could handle any captives and operations while he's chillin' with your Sensei, Zartan and the Dreadnocks in Scandinavia. So you're gonna have to sit tight and follow orders."

"I don't follow orders from any man like you. Only Sensei." She replied stubbornly.

"Man, do you HAVE to be so pig-headed? Listen, pretty face, you are under MY charge while your Sensei is gone, so you've got to listen to me. Understood?"

"No. I'm sorry." Shuriken put on her most innocent look and gazed up at Firefly. Her olive green eyes met his brown ones. _The jerk. _"I wish I could obey your orders, but I just can't see you as superior to me, Firefly. Anyway, what if Duke doesn't really have that information? Wouldn't you just be wasting your time like and idiot? Lock me up, starve me, whatever, but I'm not following your insane plans." She answered, turning on her heel and stalking down the hallway.

"Guards! Take her to the cells. Near 35, if you don't mind. I like her close, so I can hear if she tries to bust out." He sneered, and the guards held up their guns and pressed the barrels into Shuriken's back. "Ain't that right, darlin'?" Firefly jeered, placing a hand under her chin and raising her head so that her eyes met his.

"We'll see if you want to disobey orders after today. We're going to have some special company near cell number 35, you see." And with that the guards led her down to the prison.

"Snake..." She muttered under her breath.

***

Once again, unedited. I seriously don't have the time. *blushes* ^.^; If I did, I would. Life, life, life....school, school, school...ah, dear me...


	10. Chapter 9

Hi-Tech opened his eyes to Scarlett standing in the doorway and Duke yelling at him to wake up over the intercom. He slowly sat up.

"I'm up, I'm up..."

"Hurry and get dressed. Duke and I have to go visit Hawk today and you need to get to work so we can do that."

"Okay, okay." He answered, padding on sock-clad feet out of the computer room and into the command room. He looked over at his commander, a blank and lost expression on his face.

"Do you remember where I put my RSD device? I need to take a shower this morning."

"No, I don't remember where you put it, but you can use mine." Duke answered the sleepy techie.

"What on earth is an RSD?" Scarlett inquired

"Room Security Deactivation. Hi-Tech has a special security set on our rooms, and he has to deactivate that security using a special pocket remote. He can't seem to find his remote, so he's borrowing mine." Duke answered as he handed Hi-Tech the small controller. "Oh, don't forget that the microwave is broken!" Duke shouted after him.

"Why'd you tell him that?" Scarlett looked puzzled.

"Because-" Hi-Tech didn't hear the rest of the conversation. He knew it would probably be about his 'issues' with forgetting things. He just didn't have time to remember that stuff; why couldn't they understand that?!

He was later standing in front of the mirror brushing his hair after his shower, thinking about his newest upgrade on his favorite invention, HOUND, when he began thinking that making a cup of instant coffee would be a good idea.

Hi-Tech opened the microwave.

"Funny, this thing smells weird...oh, well. Now, lets see, where'd I put the coffee...aha!" Hi-Tech went about getting all the needed things for making coffee, or what he thought MIGHT be what you used for making instant coffee. Now, real coffee, he had no idea how to do that.

"Oh, and you know, I could give HOUND another compartment that I could put an extra pistol and some bullets in..." He muttered, putting his mug in the microwave and hitting a few buttons. The microwave started, and Hi-Tech sat down on one of the two twin beds in his and Duke's room, muttering more things about his computer not working well enough to improve HOUNDS system like he wanted it to, and so on and so on.

He honestly, seriously, DID NOT see the smoke coming from the microwave, even though he was looking right at it.

"Something smells-Oh my gosh!!! THE COFFEE'S BURNING!!!" He shouted, whipping the microwave door open and at that moment remembering what Duke had said earlier. "Ohhh...aw, man...now our room's full of smoke. I guess I'll just open the window to let some fresh air in and hopefully this smoke will clear out." Hi-Tech headed over to the window on Duke's side of the room. As he began to open it, he saw a note taped to the base of the window. It read-

_Hi-Tech,_

_Remember the seagull incident and please do not pull up the screen. Just the glass, not the screen._

_Thanks,_

_Duke_

"Don't pull up the screen, right." Hi-Tech left his room a few minutes later, having successfully taken a shower, gotten dressed, and opened a window. It seems like a small accomplishment, but in fact, it was very large for the techie. The day to day struggle of trying to live like a normal human.

"How goes the paper work?" He asked Duke when he reached the Command room.

"Awfully tiresome. How many times do I have to write Conrad Duke Hauser on a sheet of paper before I die?"

"A lot. I'm getting pretty tired of Shana Maureen O'Hara, myself." Scarlett announced from where she was sitting at her computer with papers strewn all over the keyboard. The keyboards on the C-Titan were digital and flat; they could be disconnected to become a very nice desk.

"Well, I'm really glad I don't have to write my name a million times like you do. David Michael Efrem Lewinsky is pretty long." Hi-Tech answered, laughing. Scarlett looked up from her paper work.

"You have two middle names?" She stepped over to the coffee pot and poured a cup.

"Yep!"

"Scarlett, don't you think you've had enough coffee? That's five cups." Duke began, sounding a little wary.

"Oh, I'm fine. This one's for Hi-Tech." She gave him the cup, and then directed him to look at something on her desk. While he was leaning down next to her she whispered in his ear.

"Try to remember what your brother says, and that there is always coffee in the Command room. You don't have to try making it yourself if you don't want to. And I already told Duke that the window was open, so he won't submerge without closing it."

" Oh, yeah, well...I just thought today would be a good day to try. I kinda forgot about the microwave, sorry. Wait, how did you know about that?!" He whispered back. Scarlett winked at him.

"I just know those things." She replied, smiling. He looked at her suspiciously, but let it be and headed back to his computer room. Today would be a long day.


	11. Chapter 10

Scarlett finished signing the paper in the same way that she had done the other ones. It was the last one that had been scheduled for the day, so she went to work on writing a paper for Hawk to give to the United Nations.  
"Duke, how do you spell fallible?"  
"Why are you asking? F-a-l-l-i-b-l-e. Fallible. I don't understand why you needed to know, you've always had a knack for words."  
"I was up late last night. Two hours of sleep does things to you." She answered, typing at a record speed. "Are you almost done with your paper work? You need to mail several of those sheets."  
"Yeah, yeah...I think there's actually something important in all this, too."  
Scarlett laughed at him. "Duke, it's all important."  
"Oh, really? What about these awful warnings from the PEDA to stop destroying ice sheets in the Arctic? And the ones from the National Parks saying we need to try to NOT burn down 5 acres of forest next time we save the world? And then the United Nations are complaining about how we invaded France last month and made our standing with the people there a little less than friendly."  
"Don't worry about it. I'm writing a letter to deal with the France episode right now." She answered, still chuckling.  
"You think it's funny, but I'm completely overwhelmed. We need money, but the UN is taking just as much time as they please working that out for us. Most of our guns and engines on this ship run on renewable energy and all that new-age stuff, but our appliances and computers are still being paid off. Then there is the ship and our handguns, and those four cannons that DON'T run on renewable energy. Then the ammunition for all our handguns and the six machine guns on-"  
"Stop! Okay! We have about thirty minutes to finish all this, so don't waste time talking." She interrupted, in a good natured way.  
"Yes, ma'm." He answered with a joking smile and then a sigh.  
It was a few hours later when Scarlett woke up suddenly, realizing she had drifted off. Duke was shaking her arm.  
"Oh, sorry, Duke. I didn't mean to doze off, I-"  
"Don't worry about it. We need to get in the Rhino Chopper to fly out to D.C. and get my car. Then we can go visit Hawk at the hospital."  
Scarlett glanced up at the windows with sleepy eyes. The sun was casting a yellow-orange glow on the decks of the ship.  
"Isn't it too late for that?"  
"No. I radioed to tell him we'd be late and I finished your paper for you. Get anything you need and we'll leave. We have a lot of ground to cover." He answered firmly.  
Scarlett nodded.  
"I've got everything I need right here. Let's go."  
A few hours later they were hovering above the Norfolk Military Base. Scarlett landed the Rhino chopper. After leaving the base, her and Duke walked to where his beach-front house stood.

Duke went straight for the garage door, not bothering to even unlock the door to the house. As soon as the door came up, they both entered and glanced around.  
"So, you want me to drive, or you want to? After all, you've been piloting the chopper for an hour or so." Duke began, twisting the keyring on his index finger. The jangling sound echoed throughout the garage along with the clicking, quirking sounds of summer insects outside. They both stared at the Subaru Tribeca Touring in the dimming sunlight.  
"You drive." Scarlett finally said. This was no time for her silly whims; she had always loved the car. But driving on so little sleep wasn't exactly safe.

It was seven thirty when they finally got through all the traffic and into the hospital. Allowed to visit simply because of their particular "job", they made their way up the elevators to Hawk's room.

Hawk greeted them with a weary smile. Scarlett's eyes scanned the room briefly before she turned her attention back to Duke.  
"How are you doing, Hauser?" He asked.  
"The usual...dirty, tired, but satisfied with how things are currently working."  
"Who's your girlfriend?" Scott demanded abruptly. Scarlett jumped. Where was he? She hadn't seen the son of Clayton Abernathy anywhere when they had come in.  
"Aw, now don't tell me you don't remember Scarlett, my second in command?" Duke commented in a playfully disappointed tone as Scott stepped out from behind the curtained windows. _So that's where he was..._  
"Yeah, yeah, I remember. I was just kidding with you. Nice to see you again, Duke, Scarlett. How's Hi-Tech?"  
Duke laughed and Scarlett smiled. "He rejoices every time he sees you online; he's so happy and excited that you have common interests and can share ideas together." She answered.  
Scott laughed along with Duke. "I'm happy to talk with him, too."  
"By the way, General, I believe this meeting was arranged over these," Duke announced, handing the papers to Hawk. "I know that it isn't necessary to deliver them in person, but I owed you a visit. You can also sign them here, which takes out all the unneeded trouble of sending them; they go everywhere before they come to you.


End file.
